Gun Violence Awareness Day Observance Held Outside City Hall

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Friday is national gun violence awareness day and, in Philadelphia, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson led an observance outside City Hall.

Councilman Johnson got his start in public life with an anti-violence group he founded after a relative was shot to death.

Nearly twenty years later, gun violence continues to plague the city.

“I’m sick and tired of going to funerals on a weekly basis of young men who are murdered over petty arguments, and so today I’m here to say, enough is enough,” said Johnson.

Johnson was joined by religious leaders, including Rabbi Joshua Waxman.

“This nation has blood guilt on its house,” Waxman said.

The timing of the observance was notable; less than 40 hours after Johnson’s colleague, David Oh, was stabbed in a robbery attempt. An incident that may have had a more tragic outcome had the attacker had a gun.